The opposition parties led by the Trinamul Congress had called for the day-long strike to protest against the violence in the Nandigram area.

The state's chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who ordered the police action, has come under heavy criticism not only from opposition parties and smaller parties in the state's ruling Left coalition but also from his mentor and the state's former chief minister, Jyoti Basu.

During a meeting of the Left coalition partners late on Thursday, Mr Basu rebuked Mr Bhattacharya for failing to restrain the police in trying to restore the administration's control over Nandigram.

Mr Bhattacharya is pushing for the speedy industrialisation of the state after years of decline caused by militant Marxist trade unionism.

But his plans to take over thousands of acres of fertile croplands for industries to be set up by Indian and foreign investors has run into stiff resistance from farmers in many parts of West Bengal.